What started as a 911 call for help on 13th Street took a twist straight out of a crime drama. A mother phoned Portsmouth Police around 1 p.m. to report her teenage son was out of control. Instead of just taking the boy into custody, officers discovered Mom had her own unfinished business with the law. She had an open warrant for violating a protection order.
Both mother and son ended up in handcuffs. The teen was taken to the police station but couldn’t stay in town. That’s because Portsmouth doesn’t have a juvenile detention center. Deputies from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office had to drive him to the Lawrence County Juvenile Detention Center, nearly half an hour away.
Mom didn’t fare much better. She was booked into jail and appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court on Monday morning, where she was released on her own recognizance. A pre-trial hearing is set for September 30.
The case highlights not only the ironic turn of events for one family, but also Portsmouth’s ongoing struggle with how to handle juvenile offenders. Every arrest involving a minor means extra time, manpower, and resources to shuttle them out of county — a reminder of the gap in the city’s justice system.
